London – Banijay International announced plans to expand its business further into finished programme distribution, building on its position in the global formats market on March 19. To kick-start this acquisitions drive the company has enlisted the services of acquisitions expert Emmanuelle Namiech.

The move sees the company extending its relationships with producers worldwide, to build a library of English-language, finished tape programming in the non-scripted genres; particularly factual entertainment, docu-soaps and fly-on-the-wall reality.

Banijay International has begun to lay the groundwork for this expansion by securing rights to several new productions including upcoming Australian workplace reality series The Flying Miners (ABC) and Village Vets (LifeStyle) as well as Water Patrol and Pound Pups to Dog Stars, both scheduled to air on TV One New Zealand. It recently sold Screentime’s long-running observational series Police Ten 7 (212 x 30’) to a number of broadcasters, including Sky in the UK.

Namiech, former SVP Content & IP at FremantleMedia and previously Director of Acquisitions at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, will work with Banijay International’s acquisitions team, Fanny Baudry in Los Angeles and Jimmy Humphrey in London, to help devise and implement both commercial and editorial aspects of the acquisitions strategy.

Karoline Spodsberg, Managing Director of Banijay International said, “Increasing our finished tape business is the natural next step for us after building our format business for four years and Emmanuelle‘s experience and extensive contacts will be invaluable as we stride into the next stage of our development. Formats and finished programme sales are complementary markets and we are determined to maintain our strength as a formats distributor as we add this new string to our bow. I’m confident that the organisation we now have in place will ensure that we will move forward with a dual focus.”

Emmanuelle Namiech added, “Banijay International is an extraordinarily dynamic company and I’m delighted to work with the team at this exciting time of expansion. The size and breadth of the Banijay Group means that, as well as being able to offer the necessary funding support and market experience it also benefits from an extensive number of valued relationships with broadcasters around the world.”